A third of Indians make purchases on their smartphones: Study

He said the company has already cornered 3.5% market share of the western snacks marketWritankar Mukherjee | ET Bureau | December 07, 2018, 07:55 IST

Over a third Indian shoppers are buying from their smartphones, making India one of the largest market for mobile-based internet shopping in the Asia Pacific region, as per a latest study by market researcher GfK.

The study said the trend of using mobile phones for e-commerce purchases in the APAC region is particularly noted in China (45%), India (42%), Indonesia (39%) and Singapore (33%). The study, polled consumers in the region, also revealed that 63% of consumers agreed that their mobile device is becoming the most important shopping tool.

In the region, apparel, toys and wearables remain the top three most popular products purchased online with over 50% of consumers made online purchases in these categories in the past six months. Other categories like beauty, personal care and baby care were also trending, GfK said.

The study, however, also noted that while FMCG products are mainly bought through smartphones, larger items like laptops and appliances tend to be purchased on personal computers.

Making payments via mobile phones continues to be a popular option with APAC consumers when shopping online as well as at the physical store. Over half of the region’s consumers agreed that they prefer to use this mode of payment when transacting online and in the physical store. Mobile payment usage has grown by 30% over last year mainly driven by millennial shoppers.